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Dome/bagged method

9 years ago

So I have domed or bagged quite a leaves..I'd say they've been left alone for about a week..I went to check them last night and the bag was very wet...so i opened it up..but the soil was dry?


I assume I should dampen the soil? First time with this method..so i'm a little surprised that the dome or bag is wet..but the soil dry

Comments (7)

  • 9 years ago

    Hmm that is strange! Is it in a very bright spot?

  • 9 years ago

    Nope..probably the lowest light out of anything

  • 9 years ago

    Actually not unusual. The moisture in the soil evaporates into the air and collects on the dome. Usually the soil also stays damp but it may be dry on the top surface. Check it by breaking the surface a little with a finger and make sure it's still damp. You can add a little water if you need to but you don't want it wet. As long as the water isn't dripping all over your leaves, don't worry about what collects on the dome as it'll trickle down the sides.

  • 9 years ago

    Hmmm can't seem to win here


    It was bone dry..I let it dry off as me opening the bag got all the water on the leaves..

  • 9 years ago

    Heather as long as there is moisture somewhere inside that baggie and your leaves are not rotting they are fine. You have, what I call, a good balance.

    Plants also take in moisture through their leaves as well as from the soil.

    Let's take a walk down Memory Lane for a minute. Back in the day,,,,well, baggies (and a lot of the plastic pudding, yogurt applesauce cups) weren't invented yet, we just plopped our leaves into any pot we had. No cover, just on a window sill. If we had supplemental lighting (a four foot garage type light) we thought we were "all that"! And saran wrap to maybe make a tent over it, well, saran was for the kitchen, no one was thinking outside the box just yet. No one really thought to "terrarium" them in any way. We just paid attention to them, watered them, and here is the important part,,,,,,we misted the leaves any chance we got. THAT back in the day, was called "foliar watering. Then once we could see babies, we figured mama plant needed some "vitamins" to sustain herself and her little ones, so we added fertilizer to the water and spray misted with that. And THAT was called "foliar feeding.

    Now, we are using baggies and plastics to make our little terrariums but may not understand exactly how that works except it holds humidity. No matter how dry you think your soil is, as long as you have a nice amount of the condensation on the baggie, don't worry. That water will trickle down the side of the baggie or whatever container you are using and will land on the soil and the cycle will repeat itself. And roots will grow, and mouse ears will show, and all is well !!!!!

    Hyn gave you good advice. The only thing I will add is if there is so much condensation it looks like your leaf is taking a shower, that is too much and can lead to rot. Just wipe 1/2 of it away, and remember to blow air back into the baggie so the wet sides don't touch the leaf! You are then good to go. Rosie


  • 9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Also, leaves often require brighter light even than the plants by themselves so do make sure they are getting good light or they will be prone to rotting for lack of energy to survive. You just don't want the uber bright (like not over 3,000 lumens) and not too hot. Cooler is better than too warm. And I mean heat rather than light temperature.